Graasten: Dressing producer prepares for expansions

Översikt

Danish company Graasten Salater A/S was established in 1947 and has since then produced a variety of food dressings at its headquarters in Graasten, southern Jutland. The wide range of dressings are distributed and marketed primarily in Denmark. However, export to nearby markets is being developed.

One of the core principles of the company is a constant focus on the process steps and manufacturing facilities that are important to the food safety. Accordingly Graasten salater has an increasing desire to demonstrate and document control of the circumstances that influence food safety – which also includes their sub-suppliers.

With a clear ambition to expand their activities to include export and a growing need control all aspects concerning food safety, Graasten Salater required a more automated production flow with greater capacity from suppliers they could trust.

The Situation
According to Technical manager at Graasten Salater, Lars B. Christiansen, the company had come to a point where a more automated production flow with a greater capacity was required to meet the growing demand and the requirements in connections with expansions. At the time employees manually transferred finished products from the production area to packaging.

For the pumps to replace the manual processes, they needed to be able to handle viscous liquids without affecting their composition. With this in mind Graasten began shopping around for a supplier. And presented with the latest rotary lobe pump from Grundfos, the NOVAlobe, Graasten looked no further.

The Grundfos Solution
From an operational point of view, NOVAlobe was an ideal choice due to its easy-to-replace, front-loading seals, which are mounted in replaceable shaft sleeves. And because hygiene is equally important in Graasten Salater’s operation, NOVAlobe’s sterile design was a must, not to mention its impeccable credentials in terms of industry certification.

Because Graasten ketchups, mayonnaise and similar dressings have delicate compositions that may be compromised if not kept viscous, the NOVAlobe was specifically selected for its viscosity-handling capabilities. In total, Grundfos installed six NOVAlobe sanitary pumps into the inlets of four key production tanks.

The Outcome
Graasten Salater has been very satisfied with their Grundfos solution, which has met all their requirements. Technical manager Lars B. Christiansen says that one of the points recommending Grundfos was its wide range, bypassing the need for multiple suppliers:

“We chose Grundfos because we consider them to be a very serious business partner. Their sanitary range is a well-thought out concept. We also chose them because of their service,” says Lars.